All about cooking, eating, and the occasional food fight

Aquavit

I’m taking a trip to Sweden soon. In honor of that (and by request of Jana), here’s a recipe for some homemade aquavit. I first saw this made on PBS on New Scandinavian Cooking, and then again in that show’s Norwegian host Andrea Viestad’s book, Kitchen of Light. It’s an aquired taste, at least for an American, but I like it.

Aquavit

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

2 teaspoons of dill seeds

2 star anise

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds

1 whole clove

1 1-inch cinnamon stick (optional)

2 teaspoons of cumin seeds (optional)

1 1-liter bottle of vodka

Add the spices to the vodka bottle and cover tightly. Let it stand for 2 or 3 weeks, depending on how strong you want it to be. Shake the bottle occasionally. Once it’s reached the desired flavor, strain it and return to the bottle.